Social Security Disability

SSD has different requirements than the SSA’s retirement benefits.  The SSA uses work credits as a benchmark to determine who is eligible for its programs, including SSD. To qualify for a work credit, you must earn a certain amount of money.  In 2017, $1,300 of earnings equals one work credit. …

If you are a veteran, you may qualify for both VA benefits and SSD benefits.  To be eligible for VA benefits, you must have served in active duty and received a discharge other than dishonorable. You also have to prove that your condition was caused by or worsened by your…

If you are divorced, you may still be entitled to spousal Social Security benefits.  If you remained unmarried, and your prior marriage lasted at least ten years, you can claim benefits based on your ex-spouse’s work history.  You must be 62 years old or older, and your former spouse must…

Three members of a family in Osceola County are accused of imprisoning elderly men to collect their social security checks and/or disability benefits. Detective Stephanie King of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office explained that the family moved from house to house in Florida and other places around the country and…

The average 20-year-old worker currently has a one-in-four chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age.  Social Security’s definition of disability is the inability to work because of a severe condition that is expected to last for at least one year or end in death. Social Security disability benefits help…

Mark was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he was in his mid-40s.  It didn’t come as a complete surprise, because Mark’s father had Parkinson’s, however, Mark was younger than most people who develop this disease.  He worked as a purchasing agent, and he was able to continue working for the…

In Wellington, Kansas, Amy McLain was recently charged on one count of Social Security fraud, one count of theft of government funds, two counts of making false statements, and one count of wire fraud. McLain is accused of collecting more than $92,000 in Social Security disability benefits.  She was working…

It has become clear that the SSA does not have enough funds to cover its administrative expenses, but that has not stopped the House and Senate from trying to squeeze even more money out of the allocation of funds for the SSA.  The House’s plan is to keep the budget…

Some Senators are encouraging their colleagues to provide President Trump’s request of $12.5 billion for the Social Security Administration’s administrative budget for fiscal year 2018 in any final appropriations bill.  They hope to reduce the disability appeals hearing backlog for Social Security Disability Insurance. Adequate funding for the SSA’s administrative…

Two of our clients both suffer from a common physical disability.  They have spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column) in their necks, which causes numbness in their arms and chronic pain.  They can only sit or stand for short periods of time.  Both men worked for at least 10…